Perhaps the shot which sums this film up is of Berenice Bejo, of The Artist fame, make-up free, screaming at her ex-husband, arms wrapped around her cheap clothes, lit only by a single naked light bulb. This is not a film with any glamour. It’s a bleak, sometimes harrowing but always honest look at the complicated lives we all live today, and, as the title suggests, how we are constantly dragged back by the mistakes of the past. Directed by the man who gave us A Separation, it’s a sequel of sorts, set in France but with Iranian characters.
Bejo plays Marie, a struggling mum living in a bleak street in the suburbs of Paris. She has a young daughter, Lea, and is visited by her husband Ahmad, who has returned from Iran to finalise their divorce. His arrival stirs up all sorts of emotions in both of them, especially since Marie seems to have moved on and is going to marry Samir (Rahim). The complications are that Samir has a young son, Fouad, and his wife is still alive but in a coma, having tried to commit suicide for mysterious reasons.
The Past is an unflinching look at how relationships can become twisted and bitter, and also how it affects innocent children. There are several scenes with one of the kids getting a talking to from a stressed, possibly drunk adult which are almost too painful to watch. The naturalistic style of the filming, the totally unglamorous setting and costumes and the sometimes annoyingly loud clatter of a cheap house next to a railway line all add to the claustrophobic feeling, yet there are moments which keep you engaged. Although it is set in Paris there is no Eiffel Tower or Champs Elysees, but plenty of graffiti, grimy streets and grey skies the Metro has never looked so grubby and uninviting.
The two male characters, Samir and Ahmad, are actually pretty sympathetic characters, trying to do their best in difficult circumstances. Samir runs a dry cleaning shop with a seedy flat above it, and, with his wife in a coma and a son that resents being on his own, has a pretty harsh existence. Ahmad too is a thoroughly decent man, always trying to help the kids through the adults’ difficulties and helping Marie get the divorce over as painlessly as possible.
But it’s Bejo who is the real pull here. Hair scraped back, fingers constantly pulling on her cheap knitwear or on another cigarette, that gorgeous face scraped clear of make-up, she is a nervous wreck, hitting out at anyone who tries to help or befriend her, constantly complaining and yet she remains a sympathetic character. It’s a peach of a role and she sinks her teeth right into it, and the result is an emotional punch to the stomach.
Overall verdict: The Past is a difficult, harrowing, bleak and powerful look at how people’s relationships can fall apart, but it’s brilliantly done and rewarding. Clearly not a Saturday night popcorn movie, it’s an adult, brooding watch but if you’re in the mood, it is superbly done and with three performances that will haunt you for a long time.
Reviewer: Mike Martin